No Jedi Mind Tricks Needed: Harnessing the Power of Narrative [#ArabAmericanSummit]

Don't worry — there's no lightsaber needed for this session at The Arab American Summit! It's all about the power of words.

Stories are powerful motivators of action and knowing how to use them to your advantage is important. This year's Summit—Nov. 7 and 8 in Dearborn, Mich.—includes in its impressive line-up the session “No Jedi Mind Tricks Needed: Harnessing the Power of Narrative” to explore the nuances of impactful storytelling.

Storytelling is a crucial skill for both social justice advocates and nonprofit organizations. In this training, you will gain greater understanding of the elements of an epic story and how you can apply story structure to messages about a specific issue. Progressive messaging that includes evidence-based narrative elements is more powerful than messaging that includes merely statistics and facts. Come learn how to build a story around a specific issue to better engage and help build a supportive base for your cause.

This incredible storytelling training will be led by Marissa Luna, a New Media Specialist at Progress Michigan. She has worked in non-profit communications for three years. Marissa began working as a New Media Specialist at Progress Michigan in 2013. She has trained hundreds of activists, volunteers and leaders across the state in everything from campaign narratives to writing press releases. Marissa is currently leading the effort to develop Michigan’s first state-based progressive narrative, along with managing communications for a variety of coalitions working on issues including women’s equality, environmental protections and climate change, expanding access to voting rights and the state budget.

The Arab American Summit—an exceptional, dynamic symposium convened by the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)—will feature sessions on social justice, community organizing, advocacy and nonprofit capacity building. Everyone who attends will leave the weekend feeling empowered with new ideas and strategies to advance social change. It's a weekend you do not want to miss! Register today!

Summit Early Bird Registration Deadline: Sept. 18, 2015 at midnight

$150.00 (NNAAC Member)

$200.00 (Non-NNAAC Member)

$100.00 (High School/College Student)

$75.00 Dinner Only

*Includes Saturday night dinner and limited transportation (to and from a Detroit outing on Friday evening and to and from dinner site on Saturday). Prices increase after Early Bird Registration ends, but registration remains open until Nov. 3, 2015.

This is the third blog post in a series that will focus on The Arab American Summit.Check here regularly to stay updated on news, hear about featured speakers, and get a sneak peak at some of the exciting Summit topics!

If you have any suggestions for future blog posts or any questions/comments regarding a published blog, please contact Fiona Bare, NNAAC Capacity Building Intern at fbare@accesscommunity.org.